giftbook, an illustrated literary miscellany, or collection of verse, tales, and sketches. The giftbook was popular in England and the United States during the second quarter of the 19th century and was published annually in ornamental

Chris Evans: Snowpiercer, Knives Out, and Deadpool & Wolverine: …of a math prodigy in Gifted (2017). Evans made his directorial debut with the romance Before We Go (2014), in which he also starred.

gifted child, any child who is naturally endowed with a high degree of general mental ability or extraordinary ability in a specific sphere of activity or knowledge. The designation of giftedness is largely a matter of administrative convenience. In most countries the prevailing definition is an

Ben Carson: Other activities: …of the 2009 made-for-television movie Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. The movie took its title from Carson’s autobiography, Gifted Hands (1990; with Cecil Murphey).

Nuruddin Farah: …the novels Maps (1986) and Gifts (1992)—was published in 1998. Links (2003), Knots (2006), and Crossbones (2011) constitute another trilogy. Farah’s other novels included North of Dawn (2018). For his thoughts about his country at the turn of the new millennium, see Sidebar: Somalia at the

Gifu, city and prefecture (ken), central Honshu, Japan. It is landlocked and dominated by mountains except in the south, where the inner part of Nōbi Plain is drained by the Nagara, Hida, and Kiso rivers. The plain supports most of the area’s agriculture and contains the prefectural capital, Gifu,

Gifu: Gifu city is noted for paper lantern manufacture and for sweetfish (ayu) fishing with cormorants in the summer. Takayama holds festivals (April and September) during which wheeled floats are paraded to the largest shrines in the town. Gifu University (1949) is located in Kamigahara city.…

gig, any of several members of a class of light, open, two-wheeled, one-horse carriages, popular in France, England, and America. The gig, which first appeared in Paris in the 17th century, is the ancestor of the cabriolet. Popular variations were the Tilbury gig and the Stanhope gig, both designed

We could all use a little extra cash in our pockets every now and then. And if you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, you’re not only giving yourself little to no margin for error (or emergency), but you may also be shortchanging your retirement and other financial goals. One way to give a boost to

A gig is a part-time job performed by freelance workers for a limited amount of time. The word has historically been used by musicians and singers who have “gigs” with a specific band or venue for a certain period of time and then move on to another band or venue. For example, a bass player might

Gig Economy: A gig is a part-time job performed by freelance workers for a limited amount of time. The word has historically been used by musicians and singers who have “gigs” with a specific band or venue for a certain period of time and then move on to…

Simon Armitage: Other works: …include All Points North (1998), Gig: The Life and Times of a Rock-Star Fantasist (2009), and Walking Home (2012), which recounts his experience walking the Pennine Way in England. He also has penned plays, an opera libretto, and the script for a puppet opera. Other projects include a sequence of…

gigue: …68 time, while the Italian giga was faster and set in 128 time. As a musical form the gigue was often used in the stylized dance suite as the last movement. Invariably written in fugal style, the gigues of suites retain the characteristic triple groups of eighth notes. Examples occur…

byte: …hardware are usually given in gigabytes (GB; one billion bytes) and terabytes (TB; one trillion bytes). Because the byte had its roots in binary digits, originally one kilobyte was not 1,000 bytes but 1,024 bytes (1,024 = 210), and thus one megabyte (MB) was 1,024 × 1,024 bytes and so…

particle accelerator: Accelerating particles: …volts (MeV, or million eV), gigaelectron volts (GeV, or billion eV), or teraelectron volts (TeV, or trillion eV).

East Asian arts: Common traditions: Called kiak in Korea and gigaku in Japan, the Aryan features of some of its masks clearly indicate Indian (or Central Asian) influence. Such complicated genealogies are common in East Asian performing arts.

gigaku mask, stylized wooden mask worn by participants in gigaku, a type of Japanese dance drama. Gigaku masks are the first known masks used in Japan and among the world’s oldest extant masks. Soon after a Korean musician named Mimashi imported gigaku plays into Japan from China, in 612, Japanese

Giganotosaurus, (Giganotosaurus carolinii), genus of a large theropod dinosaur in the family Carcharodontosauridae that lived during the Cenomanian Stage of the Late Cretaceous Period from about 100 million to 97 million years ago. Genus Giganotosaurus is made up of only one species, G. carolinii.

tree: Trees of special interest: …Mexican swamp cypress is “El Gigante,” located at Tule, Oaxaca. The trunk of this massive tree is buttressed and not circular; if the bays and promontories of the buttresses are followed, the basal circumference is nearly 46 metres (151 feet).

Alfred Döblin: …is a historical novel, and Berge, Meere und Giganten (1924; “Mountains, Seas, and Giants”; republished as Giganten in 1932) is a merciless anti-utopian satire.

Palazzo del Te: …Gonzaga horses; and the fantastic Sala dei Giganti, a continuous scene, painted from floor to ceiling, of the giants attempting to storm Olympus and being repulsed by the gods. The palace is open to the public.

gigantism, excessive growth in stature, well beyond the average for the individual’s heredity and environmental conditions. Tall stature may result from hereditary, dietary, or other factors. Gigantism is caused by disease or disorder in those parts of the endocrine system that regulate growth and

photoreception: Concave mirror eyes: …exception is the large ostracod Gigantocypris, a creature with two parabolic reflectors several millimetres across. It lives in the deep ocean and probably uses its eyes to detect bioluminescent organisms on which it preys. The images are poor, but the light-gathering power is enormous. A problem with all concave mirror…

giant: The Gigantomachy was a desperate struggle between the Giants and the Olympians. The gods finally prevailed through the aid of Heracles the archer, and the Giants were slain. Many of them were believed to lie buried under mountains and to indicate their presence by volcanic fires…

Gigantopithecus, (Gigantopithecus blacki), genus of large extinct apes represented by a single species, Gigantopithecus blacki, which lived during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago) in southern China. Gigantopithecus is considered to be a sister genus of Pongo (the genus that

Gigantopithecus: …its own genus and renamed Indopithecus giganteus. Studies suggest that I. giganteus inhabited grassland landscapes in northern India and Pakistan between about 6 million and 5 million years ago near the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. I. giganteus was significantly smaller than G. blacki. Height and weight estimates derived from tooth

Gigantopithecus: … represented by a single species, Gigantopithecus blacki, which lived during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago) in southern China. Gigantopithecus is considered to be a sister genus of Pongo (the genus that contains living orangutans) in the subfamily Ponginae of the family Hominidae. A 2019 study that…

Gigantopithecus: …its own genus and renamed Indopithecus giganteus. Studies suggest that I. giganteus inhabited grassland landscapes in northern India and Pakistan between about 6 million and 5 million years ago near the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. I. giganteus was significantly smaller than G. blacki. Height and weight estimates derived from tooth

goliath frog, (Conraua goliath), West African frog inhabiting dense lowland rainforests and a few fast-moving rivers and waterfalls in Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Classified in the family Conrauidae, it is best known as the world’s largest frog species. Males and females grow as long as 32 cm

scorpion: Size range and diversity of structure: Fossils of two species (Gigantoscorpio willsi and Brontoscorpio anglicus) measure from 35 cm (14 inches) to a metre (3.3 feet) or more, and an undescribed species is estimated to have been 90 cm (35.5 inches). Most species from deserts and other arid regions are yellowish or light brown in…

giant water scorpion, any member of the extinct subclass Eurypterida of the arthropod group Merostomata, a lineage of large, scorpion-like, aquatic invertebrates that flourished during the Silurian Period (444 to 416 million years ago). Well over 200 species have been identified and divided into 18

fungus: Annotated classification: Order Gigasporales Arbuscular mycorrhizal; uses extra-radical auxiliary cells instead of vesicles in plant roots. Order Glomerales Arbuscular mycorrhizal; forms single spores, loose clusters of spores, or compact sporocarps (fruiting bodies); example genus is Glomus. Class

Pearl Jam: Later releases: On Gigaton (2020) the band inveighed against the dangers of climate change.

Gigi, comedy of manners by Colette, published in 1944. While Gigi’s mother works as a second-rate theatre singer, Gigi is left in the care of her grandmother and great-aunt, both retired courtesans. They endeavour to teach Gigi the family business: pleasing men. The two decide to ask Gaston, the

Maurice Chevalier: His next film, Gigi (1958), won nine Academy Awards, including that for best picture, and remains Chevalier’s most popular movie. His later motion pictures included Can-Can (1960) and Fanny (1961). In 1958 Chevalier received an honorary Academy Award for his more than 50 years of contributions to the…

Alfred Drake: …and as Honoré Lachalles in Gigi (1973). He also took on serious roles in such plays as Much Ado About Nothing (1957) and Hamlet (1964). Drake was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame (1981) and was awarded the Tony Honor of Excellence (1990).

Gijón, city, Asturias provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northwestern Spain. It is located on the Bay of Biscay at the foot of Santa Catalina Hill, just northeast of Oviedo city. Known to the Romans and Goths as Gigia, it was captured by the Moors early in the 8th

Ben Affleck: Return to prominence: costarred with Jennifer Lopez in Gigli, which received scathing reviews. He and Lopez became engaged, and the intense tabloid coverage of their two-year relationship overshadowed his career. Although he continued acting, it was not until 2006 that Affleck returned to prominence, this time as the former Superman actor George Reeves…

Beniamino Gigli was one of the greatest Italian operatic tenors of the first quarter of the 20th century. Gigli studied in Rome, and, after winning a competition at Parma in 1914, he made his debut at Rovigo, Italy, as Enzo in Amilcare Ponchielli’s La gioconda. Following engagements in Spain and

Beniamino Gigli: …with his daughter, the soprano Rina Gigli. His last operatic appearance was in 1954, his last concert in 1955.

Giglio Island, mountainous, volcanic islet of the Tuscan Archipelago, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, opposite Mount Argentario, on the west coast of Italy. The island rises to 1,634 feet (498 metres) and has an area of 8 square miles (21 square km). Wine is produced, and there is considerable offshore

Maurice-Irénée-Marie Gignoux was a French geologist who contributed to knowledge of the stratigraphy of the Mediterranean during the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) and the Quaternary Period (from 2.6 million years ago to the present). He joined the meteorological research department

Gene Kelly: Films of the 1960s and beyond: …the Wind (1960), Kelly directed Gigot (1962), a heart-tugging story filmed in Paris and starring Jackie Gleason as a mute man who takes a waif under his wing. Kelly also directed the comedy A Guide for the Married Man (1967), which starred Walter Matthau as the title character being tutored…

gigue, popular Baroque dance that originated in the British Isles and became widespread in aristocratic circles of Europe; also a medieval name for a bowed string instrument, from which the modern German word Geige (“violin”) derives. Whereas true jigs were quick and wild solo dances of indefinite

Anaheim Ducks: …by the fantastic goaltending of Jean-Sébastien Giguère. Anaheim eventually lost that series to the New Jersey Devils, but Giguère won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s most valuable player.

Canadian literature: World War II and the postwar period, 1935–60: …word, while poet and engraver Roland Giguère began writing poetry inspired by both Surrealism and Quebec nationalism. On the political front, in 1950 Pierre Elliott Trudeau and others founded Cité libre (“Free City”), a journal of social and political criticism. The “quiet revolution” was not far away.

Gijón, city, Asturias provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northwestern Spain. It is located on the Bay of Biscay at the foot of Santa Catalina Hill, just northeast of Oviedo city. Known to the Romans and Goths as Gigia, it was captured by the Moors early in the 8th

Joost van den Vondel: Van den Vondel’s Gijsbrecht van Aemstel (1637), written during this transitional period, provides a hero for the capital of the new Dutch Republic who was modeled on Virgil’s Aeneas. In 1639 van den Vondel completed his first translation of a Greek tragedy, Sophocles’ Electra. His original play Gebroeders,…

Belgian literature: After World War I: …Brulez and the disenchanted humanist Marnix Gijsen, who produced his best work in the symbolic Het boek van Joachim van Babylon (1947; “The Book of Joachim of Babylon”), are more or less detached observers of human weaknesses.

Joseph Gikatilla was a major Spanish Kabbalist whose writings influenced those of Moses de León, presumed author of the Zohar (“Book of Splendour”), an important work of Jewish mysticism. Gikatilla’s early studies of philosophy and the Talmud (the rabbinical compendium of law, lore, and commentary)

Japanese literature: Kamakura period (1192–1333): …by the Soga brothers, and Gikeiki (“Chronicle of Gikei”; Eng. trans. Yoshitsune), describing the life of the warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune. Though inartistically composed, these portraits of resourceful and daring heroes caught the imaginations of the Japanese, and their exploits are still prominent on the Kabuki stage.

Kikuyu, Bantu-speaking people who live in the highland area of south-central Kenya, near Mount Kenya. In the late 20th century the Kikuyu numbered more than 4,400,000 and formed the largest ethnic group in Kenya, approximately 20 percent of the total population. Their own name for themselves is

Mac: Usually -Gil- here is giolla, “follower” or “devotee” (usually associated with Christ or with the name of some saint—e.g., Gilchrist or Gilmartin). It is rare with O but frequent with Mac, as, for example, in MacElroy, MacIlwaine, MacLennan, MacClellan. There are numerous modern anglicized forms of…

Gil Blas, picaresque novel by Alain-René Lesage, published in four volumes—the first two in 1715, the third in 1724, and the fourth in 1735. Considered one of literature’s first realistic novels, Gil Blas takes an ordinary man through a series of adventures in high and low society. The work helped

Guy de Maupassant: Mature life and works of Guy de Maupassant: …for Le Gaulois and the Gil Blas. Many of his stories made their first appearance in the latter newspaper. The 10 years from 1880 to 1890 were remarkable for their productivity; he published some 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and his only volume of verse.

Juan Gil de Hontañón was a celebrated Spanish architect who was the maestro mayor (official architect) of the Segovia cathedral and who designed in a late medieval style. Gil de Hontañón worked in Burgos with Simon of Cologne, one of a family of German architects who were responsible for many

Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón was a celebrated Spanish architect who is perhaps best known for his treatise on architecture. He also designed several notable buildings in the Spanish style known as Plateresque. Gil de Hontañón’s father, Juan, was the maestro mayor (official architect) of the Segovia

Gilberto Gil is a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the leading names in Brazilian music and an originator of the movement known as Tropicália (or Tropicalismo). Gil, who was the son of a doctor and an elementary-school teacher, grew up mostly in Ituaçu, a small

José María Gil Robles was a Catholic politician and leader during the Second Spanish Republic (1931–36). Gil Robles, a lawyer, led the Catholic party Acción Popular in the anticlerical first phase of the republic and then formed a coalition called the CEDA (Confederación Española de Derechas

Spanish literature: The Romantic movement: …Señor de Bembibre (1844) by Enrique Gil y Carrasco, reflects Gil’s carefully researched history of the Templars in Spain. Other important novels are Mariano José de Larra’s El doncel de Don Enrique el doliente (1834; “The Page of King Enrique the Invalid”) and Espronceda’s Sancho Saldaña (1834).

Gilberto Gil is a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the leading names in Brazilian music and an originator of the movement known as Tropicália (or Tropicalismo). Gil, who was the son of a doctor and an elementary-school teacher, grew up mostly in Ituaçu, a small

Gila Bend, town, Maricopa county, southwestern Arizona, U.S., 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Phoenix. The Gila River makes a sweeping 90° bend westward at this point, hence the name. The city is near a pre-Columbian Hohokam village first visited in 1699 by Father Eusebio Kino. It had been a

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, archaeological site in southwestern New Mexico, U.S., in the Gila National Forest near the headwaters of the Gila River. The name Gila is derived from the Yuma Indian term hahquahssael, meaning “salty water running.” The monument lies in rugged country about

Gila monster, (Heloderma suspectum), one of two species of North American venomous lizards in the genus Heloderma of the family Helodermatidae. The Gila monster (H. suspectum) was named for the Gila River basin and occurs in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows to about 50

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: , in the Gila National Forest near the headwaters of the Gila River. The name Gila is derived from the Yuma Indian term hahquahssael, meaning “salty water running.” The monument lies in rugged country about 30 miles (50 km) north of Silver City. It contains groups of small…

Gila River, river rising in southwestern New Mexico, U.S., in the Elk Mountains, near the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The river, draining 58,100 sq miles (150,500 sq km), flows 630 miles (1,015 km) west and southwest over desert land to the Colorado River at Yuma, Arizona. Its chief

Gīlān, province, northwestern Iran, bounded by the Caspian Sea and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the north, Ardabīl province on the west, Zanjān province on the southwest, Qazvīn province on the south, and Māzandarān province on the east. The capital is Rasht. Gīlān was within the sphere of

Caspian Sea: Shoreline features: …sediments of the Länkäran and Gīlān-Māzanderān lowlands, with the high peaks of the Talish and Elburz ranges rearing up close inland. The eastern shore of the southern Caspian is low, formed partly by sediments derived from the erosion of the cliffs along the sea. The shoreline there is broken sharply…

Rashid Ali al-Gaylani was an Iraqi lawyer and politician who was prime minister of Iraq (1933, 1940–41, 1941) and one of the most celebrated political leaders of the Arab world during his time. The scion of an aristocratic Sunni family, Gaylani studied law at Baghdad Law School. After several years

Yousaf Raza Gilani is a Pakistani politician who was the prime minister of Pakistan (2008–12). Gilani was born into a prominent family of landowners from the Punjab province, many of whom were involved in politics, including his father, who was a provincial minister during the 1950s. After studying

Yousaf Raza Gilani is a Pakistani politician who was the prime minister of Pakistan (2008–12). Gilani was born into a prominent family of landowners from the Punjab province, many of whom were involved in politics, including his father, who was a provincial minister during the 1950s. After studying

Gilbert & George, British collaborative team made up of Gilbert Proesch (b. September 17, 1943, Dolomites, Italy) and George Passmore (b. January 8, 1942, Plymouth, Devon, England), whose dynamic and often humorous insertion of themselves into their art proved an important chapter in postwar

Gilbert and Ellice Islands, former British colony, west-central Pacific Ocean. The colony consisted of the Gilbert Islands, Tuvalu (formerly Ellice Islands), the northern Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands. First visited by Europeans by the early 19th century, the group was proclaimed a British

Arthur Sullivan was a composer who, with W.S. Gilbert, established the distinctive English form of the operetta. Gilbert’s satire and verbal ingenuity were matched so well by Sullivan’s unfailing melodiousness, resourceful musicianship, and sense of parody that the works of this unique partnership

W.S. Gilbert was an English playwright and humorist best known for his collaboration with Arthur Sullivan in comic operas. Gilbert began to write in an age of rhymed couplets, puns, and travesty; his early work exhibits the facetiousness common to writers of extravaganza. But he turned away from

Gilbert Crispin was an English cleric, biblical exegete, and proponent of the thought of St. Anselm of Canterbury. Of noble birth, Gilbert was educated and later became a monk at the monastery of Bec, in Normandy, where Anselm was abbot. Gilbert served as abbot of Westminster Abbey from about 1085

digestive system disease: Unconjugated jaundice: Gilbert disease, a fairly common hereditary deficiency in the hepatic transport protein ligandin and the conjugating enzyme glucuronyl transferase, results in a harmless lifelong tendency to mild degrees of unconjugated jaundice, especially during periods of fasting or fatigue.

Gilbert Foliot was an Anglo-Norman Cluniac monk who became bishop of Hereford and later of London; he was an unsuccessful rival of Thomas Becket for the archbishopric of Canterbury and afterward was Becket’s opponent in ecclesiastical and secular politics. Gilbert’s appointment in 1139 as abbot of

Gilbert Islands, group of 16 coral islands and atolls, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean 2,800 miles (4,500 km) northeast of Australia. The low-lying islands—Makin, Butaritari, Marakei, Abaiang, Tarawa, Maiana, Abemama, Kuria, Aranuka, Nonouti, Tabiteuea, Beru, Nikunau, Onotoa,

Linda Gilbert: The Gilbert Library and Prisoners’ Aid Society (1876–83) was of genuine, if limited, service; prison libraries were supported, small personal items were distributed to prisoners, and support and sometimes employment were offered to released prisoners.

Saint Gilbert of Sempringham ; canonized 1202; feast day February 4, feast day in Northampton and Nottingham February 16) was an English priest, prelate, and founder of the Ordo Gilbertinorum Canonicorum or Ordo Sempringensis (Order of Gilbertine Canons, or Sempringham Order), commonly called

rat kangaroo: A closely related species, Gilbert’s potoroo (P. gilbertii), of southwestern Australia, was long thought to be extinct, but in the 1990s a tiny population was rediscovered near Albany, Western Australia. Another Western Australian species, the broad-faced potoroo (P. platyops), has been listed as an extinct species on the IUCN…

Alan Gilbert is an American conductor who is known for programming contemporary music along with the traditional repertoire and for his ability to communicate with and engage audiences. Gilbert was the son of violinists Michael Gilbert and Yoko Takebe, both of whom eventually joined the New York

Anne Jane Hartley Gilbert was an American dancer and actress, popular on the 19th-century stage for her character roles. Anne Hartley grew up in London. At age 12 she began studying dance in the ballet school of Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket. She danced in the corps at Her Majesty’s and Drury

Cass Gilbert was an architect, designer of the Woolworth Building (1908–13) in New York City and of the United States Supreme Court Building (completed 1935) in Washington, D.C. Conscientious and prosperous, he was an acknowledged leader of the architectural profession in the United States during a

Torsten Wiesel: …collaborative partnership with American neurobiologist Charles Gilbert, who was studying the interactions of neurons in the primary visual cortex. Their studies led to the elucidation of fundamental neuronal connections in the visual cortex and revealed information about the responses of cells in the visual receptive fields. From 1991 to 1998…

Sir Humphry Davy: Early life: ” He was befriended by Davies Giddy (later Gilbert; president of the Royal Society, 1827–30), who offered him the use of his library in Tradea and took him to a chemistry laboratory that was well equipped for that day. There he formed strongly independent views on topics of the moment,…

Lola Montez was an Irish adventuress and “Spanish” dancer who achieved international notoriety through her liaison with King Louis I (Ludwig I) of Bavaria. Elizabeth (“Eliza”) Gilbert spent much of her girlhood in India but was educated in Scotland and England. At age 19 she eloped with Lieutenant

Lola Montez was an Irish adventuress and “Spanish” dancer who achieved international notoriety through her liaison with King Louis I (Ludwig I) of Bavaria. Elizabeth (“Eliza”) Gilbert spent much of her girlhood in India but was educated in Scotland and England. At age 19 she eloped with Lieutenant

chess: Women in chess: An American woman, Ellen Gilbert, defeated a strong English amateur, George Gossip, twice in an international correspondence match in 1879—announcing checkmate in 21 moves in one game and in 35 moves in the other. Edith Winter-Wood composed more than 2,000 problems, 700 of which appeared in a book…

history of Europe: Renaissance thought: …tragedy by the American historian Felix Gilbert, for it demonstrates how, out of stupidity and weakness, people make mistakes that gradually narrow the range of their freedom to choose alternative courses and thus to influence events until, finally, they are trapped in the web of fortune. This view of history…

Muncie: …was founded in 1827 when Goldsmith C. Gilbert, a trader, donated land for the county seat. The first railroad (1852) and the discovery of natural gas (first exploited 1886) contributed to the city’s growth. Although gas production failed in the early 1900s, the city continued to grow as a manufacturing…

Grove Karl Gilbert was a U.S. geologist, one of the founders of modern geomorphology, the study of landforms. He first recognized the applicability of the concept of dynamic equilibrium in landform configuration and evolution—namely, that landforms reflect a state of balance between the processes

Humphrey Gilbert was an English soldier and navigator who devised daring and farseeing projects of overseas colonization. Although he was brilliant and creative, his poor leadership was responsible for his failure to establish the first permanent English colony in North America. He succeeded,

tropical cyclone: Naming systems: …not be used again include Gilbert, a 1988 category 5 hurricane that had the lowest central atmospheric pressure (888 millibars) ever recorded in the Atlantic. Also retired is Mitch, the name of a category 5 hurricane that stalled off the coast of Honduras for two days in 1998 before slowly…

Australian gold rushes: Life and lawlessness on the goldfields: …which included Ben Hall and John Gilbert, held up a coach at Eugowra as it was traveling from Forbes to Orange. The bushrangers escaped with £14,000 in gold and banknotes, an enormous sum. Gardiner was arrested two years later and spent 10 years in prison for the Eugowra robbery. Other…

John Gilbert was a romantic leading man of the silent era of film, known as the “Great Lover.” In retrospect, his acting career has been overshadowed by his identification as the tragic star who failed to make the transition to sound. (Read Lillian Gish’s 1929 Britannica essay on silent film.) The

You Only Live Twice: Production notes and credits:

Linda Gilbert was an American welfare worker whose efforts to provide library and other services to prison inmates met with limited success. Gilbert grew up in Chicago from the age of five. In childhood her daily path to convent school took her past the Cook County Jail. She eventually developed an

Little House on the Prairie: Cast and characters: Laura (Melissa Gilbert), the tomboy of the family, is more interested in fishing and playing baseball than in partaking in stereotypical feminine activities. Lovingly called “Half-Pint” by Pa, she is his favorite child. The third sister, Carrie, is played by identical twins Sidney and Rachel Lindsay…